Swan Lake

 PIRO/Seney NWR continued and concluded:

As we neared the end of the drive we came across a small traffic jam. We waited patiently to see who was getting so much attention. When we finally pulled up we found a family of Trumpeter swans; mom, dad and six signets.

Such gorgeous, graceful birds, trumpeters are much less aggressive than the non-native Mute swan, who is known for chasing boaters, as well as native swans, off the water.  The trumpeter even look less threatening, being smaller and slighter than the mute.


I imagine tannins in the water color the head and neck feathers of these swans, much like iron in the mud used for preening colors the feathers of Sandhill cranes.

We watched for quite a while as they splashed about, feeding and preening.

Makes me think of the Aflac duck.

The afternoon light was soft and the air was warm. It was a wonderful end to a fun, if short, adventure.

 

I'm excited to get back on the trail, and to get back to doing some birdwatching. It's been a brutal summer here, as it has been in most places, although the weather has recently broken and we've seen highs in the 70's and 80's in addition to some heavy rain (four inches in one 36 hour stretch last week). I don't tolerate the heat well, so combine the weather with my busy show schedule there's been little opportunity or desire to get out of the house. Autumn is my favorite time of year though and I am looking forward to another trip some time soon!

Sharp-tailed Grouse

PIRO/Seney continued 

(Who knew a four day trip to the UP in June would last me until mid-August? I promise I'll be on to something else soon. This is just what happens in the middle of art show season!)

There were other animals and birds at Seney NWR besides loons, although they certainly get a lot of attention. We spotted a pair of beavers swimming poplar branches back to an unseen lodge somewhere near the road.

Just past that we saw this bird strolling down the edge of the road. It was in the shade so the light was poor and the vibration from the van engine didn't help. She was far enough away (this image is cropped) that we weren't sure what it was.

We noticed she had thick looking legs. Someone said a rail, perhaps a Sora. It didn't quite fit, though. Even when she lost her nerve and scooted down the road with her tail lifted we didn't figure it out.

Fortunately we came across another farther along the drive in bright sunlight. Looking at her short, chicken-like beak we realized that this was a Sharp-tailed grouse. A first for my list!

 Her legs look thick because they're feathered. Pretty little bird.

She too eventually moved off the road but I was happy to get a few good images first.

Next and last: Ridiculously cute baby swans.

Eyeballed by an Osprey

 PIRO/Seney cont:

We finally left the loons in peace and continued along the drive. But in short order we came upon a snag right on the side of the road with a huge mass of sticks jumbled on top. I peered up at it as we approached and saw a pair of brilliant yellow eyes peering back.

"Stop!" I hollered, and leaned out the passenger-side window. Actually, it's more like I climbed half out the window, twisting and contorting to get the top half of me out the window and the camera up to my head. I'm sure it was quite a scene.

The Osprey was not amused.

"What in the world are you doing?!?"

"Ugh, damn tourists!"

It didn't take her long to get fed up with my voyeurism. After 20 seconds or so she spread her wings while I kept shooting, my arms slowly loosing feeling and my back beginning to kink.

She was facing into a very stiff wind, and without once flapping her wings she lifted up off of the nest.

I struggled to keep her in the frame, hampered by the van door and roof. I'm amazed they're even in focus.

After a few slow wing beats above the nest she turned and was swept past the front of the van, and I could no longer follow.

Getting Loony at Seney NWR

 PIRO/Seney continued:

Loons are plentiful at Seney National Wildlife Refuge--it's one of the main reasons we try to stop there every time we're in the U.P.  We timed it well this year--as I mentioned in my last post, there were baby every things everywhere. We saw four different loon families, at various distances from the road. Without my tripod I was really handicapped, but I at least got some shots that I may be able to work from down the road (these images are all cropped).

This is a series of shots of one family whose parents clearly need to brush up on their spacial relations. The chick really struggled with this fish and I don't think it managed to eat it. We saw the same thing happen with another family too.

"Lunch time!"

"Are you serious? I can't eat that!"

"Mom! I don't want fish again!"

"Junior! Where's your lunch?!?"                 "I dropped it under the table and the dog ate it."

These are extraordinary birds and I could watch them for hours. Unfortunately we didn't have hours and had to push on.

There were more loons though, and this pair was even closer than the last.

I've gotta learn how to draw water!

Next: Osprey on a nest

Babies Abound at Seney NWR!

PIRO/Seney continued:

We rolled into the parking lot at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge just as the ranger was beginning to shut down the visitor's center. He patiently waited while we ran to the bathroom, then chatted a bit with us in the parking lot. He was a very friendly fellow with a shiny, clean-shaven head and handlebar mustache. He told us a moose and wolf had been spotted recently in the refuge, and we hoped we'd get lucky and see one. We didn't, but there were still plenty of other things to see.

One of the first critters we came across was this pretty raccoon. Yeah, we see them at home, but there's something cool about seeing them when they're not hanging from a bird feeder that makes it more special, more wild maybe.

I chased a lot of birds around by the edge of the road, finally catching this Song sparrow peeking at me from within the sweet gale.

For the most part thought I rode in the van. Lisa drove while I hung out the passenger's side window with my camera. Lori sat in back watching the driver's side for critters. At one point Lisa slammed on the brakes, nearly sending me into the dashboard, and squeaked, "There's a Woodcock! Right there next to the road!" I tried to peer around her but couldn't see anything. "Get OUT!" she hissed, so I jumped out the door and snuck around the back of the van. I stood there and stood there but could not find the bird! I started to creep forward and it finally flushed. The darn thing had been right in front of me, perhaps on a nest, and I never saw it. That would have been my first pics of a Woodcock (or was it a Common snipe? We'll never know). Ah well....

These ducks were so far out that we couldn't identify them. After blowing this up I think they are Lesser scaups, but I'm not positive.

Now, as the blog title suggests, there were lots of babies around. This was the second week of June and the world was just bursting with life. This family of Canada geese halted our progress as they were in no hurry to leave the road. I think I had to get out of the van and start walking towards them to get them to move to the side.

 Looking back at the geese I spotted this log-full of painted turtles sunning themselves in the afternoon warmth. I really wanted to join them and take a nap!

Next: Loons!

Seney NWR Part 1--Osprey

On the way home from our Marquette show we had a few hours to spare and so stopped at one of our favorite up north spots, Seney National Wildlife Refuge. We couldn't do one of the drives since we had our camper and trailer, so we walked the nature trail instead. About fifteen minutes into our jaunt I spotted an osprey coming in for a landing in a dead tree to our right. I got the tripod up in time to catch its landing in the tree.

It wasn't immediately obvious that it had a fish until it rearranged it in order to better grip its perch.

I couldn't tell what kind of fish it was, but Lori was pretty sure it was a northern pike, and this shot confirmed that. The fish was very much alive and kicking at this point, flopping around in the bird's firm grip. Shortly after this the ospery started to snack on its catch, but I'll spare you those shots.

After getting a good number of shots, we moved farther down the path to a closer vantage point. The bird would call out occasionally, and was answered by its babes in a nest behind us and across a pond. I was lucky enough to get this shot of the osprey leaving its perch to deliver its catch to its babes, too far away for me to get shots of.

We continued our hike, enjoying the scenery, and after a while we saw another, or the same, osprey fly out over the nearest pond and then hover, watching for fish. We were in a little grove of trees on a bit of land jutting out into the pond, and we watched as the osprey flew right towards us and then landed in a tree, right over our heads. (The other photos in this post are cropped quite a bit, but this one is full frame.) What a moment! It paused long enough for me to get a few shots and then flew off to continue its search for fish.

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